Vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is 90% effective in preventing infants from being hospitalized with the respiratory virus, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the U.S., according to the agency.
The data, released Thursday, supports the CDC’s existing recommendation to vaccinate infants younger than 8 months during their first RSV season with nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, if the mother did not receive the maternal RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
Adults 60 and older and pregnant people are eligible to receive the RSV vaccines Arexvy from GlaxoSmithKline or Abrysvo from Pfizer.
The current RSV season is the first time nirsevimab was available to protect infants from severe RSV.
The data is the first U.S. estimate of nirsevimab’s effectiveness in protecting infants against RSV-related hospitalization, the CDC says.
In Connecticut, 343 children under the age of 9 were hospitalized with RSV this season.
Across all age groups in Connecticut, RSV hospitalization numbers stand at 1,499, and are continuing to trend lower, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
